For the third time this year, the Bengals need help selling out Sunday's game. On Friday afternoon, while the deadline approached, Local 12, the Bengals and Kroger worked together to sellout the remaining tickets available to assure that the game will be broadcasted in the Cincinnati market. Kroger and Local 12 were in large part why the Bengals were seen on local television during opening weekend against the Denver Broncos.

Kroger is planning on giving away 250 pairs of tickets "members of the military" which will be distributed "at Kroger stores in Hyde Park (10-11 a.m.); Lebanon, Union and Fairborn (11 a.m.-noon) and Anderson Towne Center (1-2 p.m.) today."

Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn writes in a statement:

“We are thrilled with the response from our fans, Kroger and Local12, and we are pleased that Bengals fans across the region can watch our game on Sunday. We have great fans and their vocal support will give us a real home field advantage for this big AFC North game. We are especially pleased that we will have so many members of the Military on hand.”

If the Bengals can not sell a game out, against a division rival while in first place, you have to wonder if this isn't another sign that the Bengals should be more aware of the area and their loyal fanbase. On Friday a released government report says "the U.S. unemployment rate hit a 26-year high of 10.2 percent last month." The state of Ohio's unemployment rate hovers around 10.1% in September (lost 258,100 jobs in one year). Kentucky's jobless rate is 10.9% and Indiana's is 9.6% in September. On Tuesday, Ohio voters voted to legalize Casinos by six points in an effort to bring money and jobs to the state. Hamilton county recently passed a $209 million general fund budget, which is $29.6 million less than last year and the smallest since 1999. An October 20 Middletown Journal article writes that jobless numbers in Hamilton County are at 10.8%, which actually feel from the previous month of 11.6%.

In one respect, the Bengals are helping out by assuring tickets are sold in one way or another. While Cincinnatians are struggling to sellout games at Paul Brown Stadium, the fifth home game will ultimately be sold out. However, the home games this year have mostly hosted teams that are in playoff races, such as Denver and Houston (wild card), or games with bigger fanbases like Pittsburgh and Chicago.

If we base on what we've seen this year, I find it hard to believe that the Bengals will be able to sellout their remaining home games. Cleveland could sellout, because most football fans in this state are either Bengals fans or Browns fans. After that, the Bengals host the Lions and Chiefs to close out the home schedule. Yikes.

With the economy and some many that remain jobless, I think it's time that the Bengals examine the possibility of reduced ticket prices for the remainder of this year. As of now, games against the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, the cheapest tickets remain at $64 through Ticket Master. Add to area parking, as well as concessions, and your price could easily top $90. And of course, you're not going alone. So let's add a few tickets for friends and/or family. Many can't justify that cost of even the cheapest ticket available.

Think of the advantages. Cheaper tickets means availability to more people, maybe even children who could become the future generation of Bengals fans who would buy tickets in 2020. Do the Bengals recognize that? It's a great public relations effort, with a fanbase that really doesn't trust the Bengals front office and hasn't for years. If they're looking at the bottom line, the Bengals won't have to eat the cost of those unsold tickets.

Now we'd be trivial not to mention that the Bengals wiped out the remaining tickets against the Ravens and plan to donate them. That's a great start. While they're looking to help out, the Bengals should keep trying, reaching out to a community that's struggling right now, even though the citizens of Hamilton County gave the team one hell of a stadium deal. Let's reciprocate the love a little for fans who could use a little help to support cheering for the team they've cheered for all of our lives.

Just when you think the Bengals are bound for their first non-sellout in nearly 50 games, somehow, someone (fans perhaps?) pull through. Local 12 Tweets that "*BREAKING NEWS* Bengals game WILL AIR Sunday at 1 p.m. on Local 12. Game is sold out!!" (via Joe Reedy's tweet because we actually don't follow local 12)

No word on how many were sold to fans, or to an area company or to a player looking to hand them out on Saturday. In fact, the team has yet to make the announcement official. We'll update as news breaks through.

But yea. Bengals. Ravens. Local 12. Time to kick some ass.

Like the other two times the Bengals were granted television extensions, we'll be waiting anxiously to see if the Bengals sellout Sunday, or if we're forced to listen to the radio and day dream of our boys in Lord of the Rings garb -- Andrew Whitworth is Sam, Carson Palmer is Frodo and Ray Lewis is Gollum. If it's like before, we'll get bits and pieces of information preceding a mid-afternoon announcement. So bit and piece #1: C Trent got a tweet that someone is going to the game "compliments of WKRC." Yea?

Sometimes you just have to appreciate right now and worry about tomorrow the next day. When Lance McAlister listed topics that are off the table when discussing the Cincinnati Bengals, WDR took exception. Lance said:

Off the table
Ever stop and consider the sports talk radio topics that are off the table with the Bengals winning?
Talk of......
1. Staging a walkout during a game
2. Banners to fly over the stadium or take into the game
3. Burning tickets
4. Boycotting sponsors
5. Firing the coach/who the next coach should be?
6. Who should they draft?
7. Billboards
8. Urinal cakes
9. The next task from Who Dey Revolution
10. What team to adopt?
11. Do you root for them to lose to embarrass Mike into change and get a better draft pick?

In response, WDR writes:

Clearly this list is directed towards WDR and its followers, seeing as how we're mentioned by name along with many of our actions towards instituting change and it correctly points out how some Bengals' fans typically stop supporting us when the team wins.

Once again, the cold-hard, un-Coors Light sponsored facts: this nice little run to begin the season, in the larger scheme, means nothing. Yes, nothing. Mike Brown continues running his organization in the same manner as he has since taking over, with methods that directly go against the "goal" of competing (like still employing only one full-time scout). Mike Brown, for the most part, put this team together using these same out-of-date, lazy and cheap methods that make reaching sustained success unrealistic.

But I ask this. Did Chick Ludwig give the quote of the day?

By not selling out Paul Brown Stadium against the Ravens, Bengals fans have spoken. You wanted a winner and finally got a winner. Now you’re turning your backs on the team. You prayed for rain. Now you’re complaining about the mud. Congratulations …

Levi Jones to start for the Redskins? Former Bengals left tackle Levi Jones signed with the Washington Redskins on October 20. In a Washington Post piece, David Elfin writes that "Levi Jones might make his first start at the position for the Redskins on Sunday at Atlanta." Jones was cut by the Bengals during the offseason:

"I have missed [18 games in seven seasons], but they label me injury-prone?" he said. "I've never been on injured reserve. To have that knock, I definitely want to get that off and show people that I'm back... and try to return to the elite status I once had."

Does one become King if they predict the future? Peter King predicts that the Bengals will lose to the Ravens by ten points.

Cincinnati is 3-1 in the past four in this series at Paul Brown Stadium. The 1: Baltimore 34, Cincy 3 last November. In this one, I say the Ray Rice Show continues. "He's better than we thought he was,'' John Harbaugh told me the other day. "He was pretty much an inside runner at Rutgers, but his blitz pickup and receiving skills are so much better than we thought.''

I rarely make predictions. It's not because I don't like it. No. It's because my crystal ball I used to see into the the future broke a few months ago after I threw my controller because a middle linebacker in Madden 10 made this impossible catch over the middle when he was twenty yards away while I was making my throw. Prick.

Who Dey Fans calls it a season sweep. Chick Ludwig calls it a three-point win.

The story of Cedric Benson fascinates. Sports Illustrated's Damon Hack chronicles Cedric Benson's return to the league as not just an effective running back, but a pretty good one.

The Bengals signed him on Sept. 30, and after two games he had earned the starting job. By the end of the 2008 season he'd rediscovered the power-running form that had made him one of the most accomplished backs in college football history—over the last three games for Cincy, Benson rushed for 355 yards. The resurgence has carried over to 2009. In Week 5 he became the first back in 40 games to run for more than 100 yards against the Ravens, pounding out 120 yards on 27 carries in a 17--14 win at Baltimore. And ultimate redemption came two Sundays ago at Paul Brown Stadium, when he gouged Chicago for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown in a 45--10 romp that improved Cincinnati's record to 5--2 and certified the Bengals as a playoff contender.

If he continues at this pace, one has to believe that Benson is the leading candidate for comeback player of the year award.

If you're a Bengals fan and you don't like Chad, you kick puppies. Except for Tim, of course. As far as we know, Chad Ochocinco is 0-1 when sending gift care packages to opposing defenses the week that they play.

"I got a special package being delivered to the Ravens' secondary -- actually the whole defense," Ochocinco said. "I just want to send my condolences right now. You're welcome ahead of time."

My favorite quote in the ESPN piece is when James Walker asked Chad about the Ravens attitude after losing the first meeting on a last second touchdown.

"I can care less how they feel," Ochocinco said bluntly. "I can care less about their attitude. All of them."

That's our boy.

More, more, says Number Five.

Carson Palmer has thrown for 2,506 yards and 13 touchdowns in ten meetings against the Baltimore Ravens. Better still, he's 7-3.

It's still uncertain if Andre Smith will play this Sunday.

Robert Geathers and Michael Johnson are both looking to turn around disappointing starts to their season.

Anytime you go three for three, that's really good. Unless the subject is rejection from women. But batting 1.000 is good by most standards. So far the Bengals have had three games that didn't sellout by the deadline (the third being against the Ravens). Cincinnati was granted a 24-hour extension to sell 3,000 tickets with the new deadline being 1 PM on Friday.

Said Bengals ticket sales manager Andrew Brown in a statement: “We still have approximately 3000 tickets to sell, so it’s by no means assured we can avert a blackout. But we are pleased to have the chance for some great closing sales to keep our sellout streak alive.” 

Through seven games, Bengals ratings locally are up 36 percent with a 33.9 rating and 58 percent market share (it was 25.0/49 last year). That is the second biggest increase in the league with Arizona leading at 37 percent.

After not selling out either preseason game for the first time since 2005, the Bengals went down to the wire in order to sell out the regular-season opener against Denver when the team, Kroger and WKRC-TV (Channel 12) bought the remaining tickets.  For the Houston game, Motorola bought the remaining tickets.

The deadline for the Bengals to sellout and have the game shown locally is Thursday at 1 PM. If the team thinks they'll sellout and the league agrees, they could be granted a 24-hour extension, similar to the one they were given against Denver and Houston.

Joe Reedy writes that the there's still 3,500 available tickets remaining.

The ticket office said that the amount of remaining seats is about the same that were left for the opener against Denver at this point but less than what was left for the Oct. 18 game against Houston. In both cases, the Bengals were granted a 24-hour extension to reach a sellout.

The fact there's so many available tickets against a division rival, with possible playoff implications and the Bengals sporting a first place 5-2 record, makes you certain that it's about the economy. If we can't sellout this game before the day of the deadline, then you have to worry about the remaining home games this year. There's probably a good chance that the team's sellout streak will end one way or another this year. I just thought it would be more likely against 1-6 Detroit on December 6 or 1-6 Kansas City on December 27.

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

19 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom (98) is taken off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Browse more photos »

No, injuries are not an excuse. We've heard that before. But injuries do hurt a team; sometimes critically. For example, Carson Palmer's injury in 2008. There. Point made. I've never bought into the general theory that a team fails because of injury. The counter argument is that a good organization will have great depth that could replace starters when they go down. Fine. But when your starting quarterback goes down for the season, you're not going to be as good. In the Bengals case, Palmer's injury led (perhaps not directly) to a 4-11-1 season. Even though Tom Brady's injury opened the door for Matt Cassell to lead the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record, the Patriots still missed the playoffs. Then again, would have the Patriots lost by 25 points to the Dolphins, 20 points to the Chargers or 23 points to the Steelers if Brady were playing?

The Bengals have had critical injuries already this year. Reggie Kelly is one; not for his pass catching skills, rather his blocking, leadership and tremendous mentorship for Chase Coffman (then again, he still could be mentoring Chase... we just haven't heard lately). I never thought that Ben Utecht was that big of a loss -- what exactly has he proven?

The one injury that could turn out to be big is Antwan Odom. Feels like forever since he went down, doesn't it? It's only been a game and a half.

Through the first two games of the season, Odom sacked the quarterback seven times -- including five against the Green Bay Packers. He recorded only one sack in the following four games. But his presence was known. The Bengals had a defensive player that the opposing offense had to account for -- how many times have we had someone like that? Just as Bengals lore goes, against the Houston Texans, easily the worst combined effort by the Bengals in 2009, Odom gets carted off the field after rupturing his right Achilles' tendon.

The Bengals have recorded at least one sack in eight straight games dating back to December 21, 2008. In six of those eight games, the Bengals recorded two sacks or more.

After moments of cursing, which included a Hudson-like over-reaction in Aliens ("WTF are we going to do now, we're in some really pretty............"), the Bengals had to figure a way to replace their best pass rusher of the season. Do they change philosphy? Do they blitz more? Do they rely on someone stepping up to the plate and crushing a fastball? Jonathan Fanene is a likely candidate, who has already recorded a career high three quarterback sacks -- two of which that came in two of the last three games. Behind Fanene is Frostee Rucker. The thing about Rucker isn't so much his talent -- we know he has it -- it's depending on him to stay healthy for the rest of the season. And he looked good against the Bears, didn't he?

Then you ask, where's Robert Geathers? Since recording 10.5 quarterback sacks in 2006, Geathers has recorded 6.5 sacks in the 34 games since. If there's someone that needs to produce, one would be justified to point at him now.

I like what I saw out of Rucker and I've always liked the way Fanene plays. However, effort and health, while critical, will need to be followed up with results. And against a team like Baltimore, whose offense can put points together in a heart beat, the Bengals need to rattle Joe Flacco, who recorded a season-low 70.1 passer rating thanks to a season-high two interceptions the last time the Ravens played Cincinnati.

While Bengals fans might not be buying into the team after seven games this season, one Washington Post blogger isn't convinced of Cincinnati. Why? Mostly trust issues.

It's a fine story now, but Cincinnati is one of those teams you just can't trust. The Bengals have disappointed so many times that you're almost waiting for them to collapse. This is, after all, an organization that has had two winning seasons in 20 years.

Can we really blame him for thinking this way? Most of us have and probably still do. Aside from a struggling economy that has blue collar fans -- the heart of the Bengals fan base -- penny pinching, trusting the Cincinnati Bengals has been a difficult thing to maintain. An accurate reminder of trust issues could be traced back to 2006, when the Bengals went into a Monday Night Football game on December 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals were 8-5, riding a four-game winning streak with wins over the Saints, Browns, Ravens and Raiders -- three of those four wins were won by 15 points or more and the Bengals beat the Browns 30-0.

It was simple, if the Bengals win just one their last three games, they make the playoffs. With a win over the Chiefs and a potential win over the Broncos during week 16 (game #15) the Bengals would own tie-breakers against two competing teams that were vying for the final wildcard spot. It seemed so easy. Win one, you're in. Maybe not as good as they were in 2005, these Bengals were still good.

The Bengals went 0-3 in the worst possible way.

Peyton Manning threw four touchdowns passes in a 34-16 route. Brad St. Louis made a poor snap that cost the Bengals an extra point that would have tied the Denver Broncos with 46 seconds left in the game. And in the final game of the year, the Steelers and Bengals battled into overtime when Ben Roethlisberger completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes to end the Bengals season. Consider for a moment that the Bengals lost 23 of their next 35 games after beating the Oakland Raiders on December 10, 2006.

However, I believe the issue of trust shouldn't factor into whether you buy into this team this year. The Bengals are different. How much? Carson Palmer isn't putting up the passing stats he did in 2006. Then again, he's winning football games on last minute drives. Cedric Benson is on pace to equal Rudi Johnson's 12 touchdowns that year; his 1,645 yards rushing he's on pace for will shatter the club record. Offensively the Bengals are worse than that year. Defensively, they're far stronger. All around, the depth is better.

This club is like no other club Cincinnati has had during the Mike Brown era. There's unity. There's pride. There's ambition. There's a genuine lack of me-first personality. I can understand Gene Wang's point in the Washington Post. But having watched all the Bengals teams in the past, and immensely focused on this team now, I have to say that trust issues and recent history bear no relevance to the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

When you do it for the fans, they respond. I've said it before and I'll say it again, and again, and again. One of the Bengals worst efforts as an organization is their effort to reach out to the fans. I'm not comparing this to other NFL teams; most could be the same way, I don't know. But no other NFL team goes through the same struggles with their fans as the Bengals organization.

I say this as RedsFest tickets go on sale. Nearly everyone that's gone to this event say that they love it. Fans can interact with current and former players, play indoor wiffle ball, play Texas Hold 'em with players, get autographs, buy memorabilia -- like bats, jerseys, hats, helmets used on game day. Kids can test their fast ball or take a few swings in the batting cages. This is an effort for the team to connect directly with fans once a year.

What would it hurt if the Bengals did the same thing? Some players live in the area and could appear; many of whom could generate new fans simply by interacting with fans. You could have quarterback and receiving competitions, testing your 40-yard time, a flag football game, auctions, memorabilia, autographs, etc.

It would just make too much sense for the Bengals organization to take a weekend during the offseason and make it about the fans. This would go a long way to improve fan and ownership relations, and, if anything, start building a new generation of fans. C'mon Mike. Get on it.

Less tickets (though still a lot) remain. We wrote on Monday that the Bengals report over 5,000 unsold tickets remain for Sunday's division game against the Baltimore Ravens. Later that afternoon, Bengals.com released that the number had dipped to approximately 4500 available tickets. And it's killing Chick Ludwig.

Want some Jeremi Johnson reading? Joe Reedy, C Trent Rosencrans, and Geoff Hobson each published pieces on Jeremi Johnson. Joe examined Jeremi's recent history, from being released to returning to being a more versatile player who even lines up at tight end. Much of Geoff's article is the same, however, he also points out Johnson's critical job against the Baltimore Ravens. C Trent examined Johnson's journey from being down and out to the team having their once good fullback back.

Chad Ochocinco's run towards a milestone. Only 32 players in NFL history have recorded 10,000 yards receiving in a career. Chad is 522 yards away from achieving that mark. Geoff Hobson writes, "At his current pace of 82 yards per game he’ll get it Dec. 20 in San Diego." The last time Chad played San Diego, he caught 11 passes for 260 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns in a 41-49 loss in 2006.

Palmer's glove brings luck; planning postseason surgery on hand. Carson Palmer points out that since he hurt his left thumb, which he wears a protective glove for, the rushing offense has flourished. Of course, he's joking. He does plan to "undergo postseason surgery". Hopefully that means after the postseason.

Andre Smith continues to work. While he's working with the team now, there's still a long way to go for Andre Smith. Andrew Whitworth, one of the veteran linemen whose taken a leadership role said of Smith:

 “You still have to get into football shape and you can’t be there yet. It’s going to take awhile,” Whitworth said. “For the most part he knows what he’s doing. He knows football and as he gets technically better he’ll be very good.”

A point of interest: Joe Reedy writes, "Cincinnati’s remaining opponents have a combined record of 29-38 (.433 winning percentage). Pittsburgh’s opponents are 30-35 (.462) and Baltimore’s are 34-31 (.523)."

Neat. Don Banks looks at the top Ten Revenge games in NFL History. Charles Robinson looks at players who have worn out their welcome.